Investigation finds Gov. Greg Abbott's data center 'pause' on data centers isn't a pause at all

In an effort to appear tough on data centers, Governor Abbott directed the TCEQ to pause the permitting process for data centers.

An independent investigation found that's not the case.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons / J Dimas In late September, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to "halt all permits sought by data centers." However, an investigation by watchdog organizations Public Citizen and FracTracker found that the approval process has since moved forward for dozens of data center projects.